Chapter 256: Another One Goes "Mad"

Ding Songyan hadn’t expected Li Baima to be the first of his three colleagues to make this request. He had assumed it would be Fan Chunlin, who was closer to him.

But other than pining for Twelfth Madam in vain and being infatuated with Zhang Yingbo’s beauty without ever really getting near her, Fourth Fan has never suffered any great setback. Look, he’s already thinking about the Hengbo River again.

He’s diligent enough in training, but no more than that, with no burning desire to seek anyone’s guidance.

"Of course," Ding Songyan agreed to Li Baima’s request.

What he had told Twelfth Madam about the righteousness of the orthodox way carried a little scheming, but it was also heartfelt, much like the passing of the torch in the Brightnight Sect long ago.

Even dogs wouldn’t trust the Accumulated Evil Way, and the Sage-Severing Way’s dogs would cheat you. Just look at them to see how rare and precious the orthodox side’s fairly healthy climate is.

There were conflicts of interest, even grudges and feuds, but everyone held to a bottom line. People competed without breaking this bottom line, and young heroes traveling the land never lacked for sparring and exchanges.

Ding Songyan, who had truly experienced the ways of the world, knew well how important it was among the orthodox to "compete without breaking."

Li Baima was moved to tears and thanked him repeatedly before straightening up.

He suddenly felt a bit stiff and uneasy.

The two had always dealt with each other as colleagues and peers, but his deep bow and request just now had been in the manner of a half-master and disciple.

It was no small thing for him to swallow his pride.

"Run through the whole Qiezhi Fire-Commanding Sword." Ding Songyan sat down behind the stone table and spoke.

He was playing the role Twelfth Madam had played.

You guide me, I guide him, he guides other young heroes. That’s how the orthodox way produces outstanding figures generation after generation.

Of course, if Li Baima ever turned to evil, Ding Songyan would rid off him with his own hands, just as Twelfth Madam would surely hunt him to the ends of the earth to punish evil if he were to fall into the demonic path.

Li Baima steadied himself and ran through the Qiezhi Fire-Commanding Sword from start to finish.

When it was done, Ding Songyan asked in detail about the aperture usage, qi routes, and force-generation techniques of every move. Li Baima held nothing back, since none of it touched aperture forging, viscera installation, or the Dharma Realm arts that came after.

Since he was going to accept guidance in the manner of a half-master, he couldn’t be too guarded, or he might easily be led down a crooked path.

After a round of questions and answers, Ding Songyan began guiding and correcting Li Baima from the first move.

Li Baima thought, adjusted, and drilled with total focus.

He made no attempt to control his expression, and a look of disbelief gradually spread across his face.

As a potential Grandmaster of the Fire-Wielding School, he had been fortunate to receive guidance from the former sect leader many times, but now he felt that even the sect leader, a Dharma Realm Grandmaster, hadn’t "understood" his own Qiezhi Fire-Commanding Sword as well as Brother Ding did. Every word and every correction from Brother Ding struck him like a bell, showing him a brand new world.

Is Brother Ding really only at the perfected Great Proliferation Realm?

Is he a once-in-a-century sword prodigy?

Li Baima stopped on his own and said to Ding Songyan, "Master Ding, shall we stop here for today? If you teach any more, I-I feel my head will explode.

"I’ll go over those seven moves carefully first, so I don’t forget the feeling by tomorrow and fall back into my old habits."

"Master Ding? Don’t call me that formally. It makes me uncomfortable. I can’t very well call you Brother Li while you call me Master Ding, each going by our own rules. It wouldn’t sound good if it got out," Ding Songyan said with a smile. "Stopping in time is quite good. It’s easy to start and hard to know when to stop. The principle of knowing when to stop is simple, but how many can do it?"

Seeing Ding Songyan insist, Li Baima stopped calling him "Master Ding" and, absorbed, replayed the guidance he had just received, drilling it again and again.

Ding Songyan did not disturb him, only now and then rephrasing something in an easier way at the tricky points.

As the sky darkened, the food boxes arrived. Seeing Li Baima still immersed in swordplay, and Wu Mo and Fan Chunlin evidently off at the Hengbo River and not back, Ding Songyan started eating first, picking his favorite dish from each of the other three boxes.

When he was full, he watched the crimson flames drifting in midair from Li Baima’s sword practice, casually drew Frostshade, and gave it a light stroke.

The flames at the edges immediately gathered toward the crystalline sword without disturbing Li Baima, finally becoming Kindling Passes to Candle.

Both teacher and learner improved, feeding off each other. Li Baima learned a great deal, and naturally Ding Songyan picked up something too.

Having come to understand the Qiezhi Fire-Commanding Sword so well, he folded part of his gains into Kindling Passes to Candle, improving the move’s control over stray sparks so they lasted longer.

After today, Kindling Passes to Candle had two ways to improve: one by merging in the Accumulating Waters Divine Art, the other by borrowing from the Qiezhi Fire-Commanding Sword. The latter, if one didn’t chase too good a result, could influence stray sparks purely through a force-generation technique and qi-circulation method, and every Brightnight Sect member could master it.

...

The following morning.

After his morning practice, Ding Songyan returned to his room to write his storybook, while Li Baima drilled the seven sword moves he’d been taught yesterday over and over.

To him, it was more like learning a new sword art, and one that had visibly improved.

How could he not be hooked?

After finishing a section of the story, Ding Songyan thought through what he needed to do soon.

"One: wait to see how the Five Saints Sect reacts after taking in Wu Zheng and what they do. Two: create a chance to run into Commander Han Shun. Three: find a member of the Returning Abyss Order as soon as possible, get a thread of true qi, and finish condensing the last exterior aperture. That must be done before Twelfth Madam leaves the Flame Capital.

"Without her protection, Demoness Ji may show up with her Chaos true qi at any time, and I can’t cling to Twelfth Madam forever. All I can do is try to get things settled before then, so the demoness gets no opening.

"Besides, only when I truly reach the perfected Dharma Realm will I have an excuse to talk with Twelfth Madam in depth about the Heaven-Man Realm: what a Heaven-Man is, how it differs from the Dharma Realm, where the barriers lie, how to attain it...

"Er, did I forget to ask Master Xiaozhang and his people to look into the Returning Abyss Order? Right, I only asked them to track the Accumulated Evil Way and the Ghost Yu Way...

"Another expense coming up..."

Ding Songyan acted as soon as the thought struck. He took a stack of banknotes and Frostshade and went out.

Li Baima was still practicing hard and didn’t notice.

Before long, Wu Mo and Fan Chunlin walked into the side courtyard humming a tune.

"Brother Li, sword practicing again?" Fan Chunlin blurted.

Li Baima had just reached a pause. He wiped the sweat from his forehead with his sleeve and smiled with fervid eyes.

"Yes.

"The more I practice this swordplay, the more interesting it gets!"

As he spoke, he remembered a detail from just now and sank into deep thought again.

Seeing this, Wu Mo lowered his voice and asked Fan Chunlin, "Brother Li hasn’t gone mad, has he?"

Like that Azure Thunder Exiled Immortal Li Linquan.

"Can’t be. One Li Linquan has gone mad already. Surely there won’t be another?" Fan Chunlin expressed his skepticism. "Brother Li and Li Linquan share a surname, but they’re not related."

Even if madness spread like an epidemic, Brother Li had never been in contact with Li Linquan!

"The Flame Capital has millions of people. I figure one going mad every now and then is normal," Wu Mo said, somewhat worried.

Just then, Li Baima worked out his problem, came to, and looked at the two with puzzlement.

"What are you talking about?"

"Nothing," Wu Mo and Fan Chunlin said, shaking their heads in unison.

Brother Li looks normal again for now. Let’s continue monitoring.

...

The moment Ding Songyan stepped into the Cheap Wine Shop, he felt a wave of killing intent.

If Twelfth Madam’s gaze were a blade, he would already have been cut into eight pieces.

"Is Chef Shi in the kitchen?" Ding Songyan hurried to the counter and smiled ingratiatingly.

Twelfth Madam Luo rolled her eyes upward and said with irritation, "Where else would a cook be, if not the kitchen?"

"I need to see him." Ding Songyan turned straight toward the kitchen.

The lunch crowd hadn’t begun. There were only two tables of customers, and neither Shi Wuyan nor the other fat cook was busy.

Seeing Ding Songyan, Shi Wuyan unconsciously chopped with a bit more force.

He shook out his hand, walked to the door, and said in a low voice, "I was about to look for you this afternoon."

Which matter has a lead now? Ding Songyan pointed to the back courtyard and led the way, as at ease as if he were at home.

Shi Wuyan followed. As soon as he confirmed no one was around, he quietly slipped a paper ball to Ding Songyan.

"One thousand taels."

"How much?" Ding Songyan blurted back.

Isn’t that excessively ridiculous?

As an estate guard, with holiday gifts included, I wouldn’t earn more than eighty taels a year.

"One thousand taels of silver," Shi Wuyan said in a low voice. "This took a lot of our effort and cost us quite a bit."

Ding Songyan considered, took banknotes from his robe, counted out exactly one thousand taels for Chef Shi, and said with a smile, "Your information had better be worth the price."

"We’ve always dealt fairly with young and old alike," Shi Wuyan answered gravely.

Who are you pointing at? Who doesn’t deal fairly? Ding Songyan didn’t think Chef Shi was the type to be sarcastic, but the thought still flashed through his mind.

Right in front of Shi Wuyan, he unfolded the paper ball discreetly.

"We have obtained a lead on the Ghost Yu Way renegade. You may go to Mianheng Rice Shop on Huaiyuan Street and ask the clerk, Cui Tieshan, for the full details."

Who are they guarding against, a non-payer? Only writing where the information was obtained, not the information itself, and making me go through a middleman... A lead on the Ghost Yu Way renegade really is worth a thousand taels. Selling it to the Ghost Yu Way would fetch far more than that... Ding Songyan pocketed the paper ball and said to Chef Shi with a smile, "By the way, help me find members of the Returning Abyss Order in the Flame Capital."

"The price for finding people is set afterward," Shi Wuyan told him in advance.

Ding Songyan nodded his agreement.

After watching Shi Wuyan return to the kitchen, he began to worry.

A lead on the Ghost Yu Way renegade was good news, but he hadn’t dared leave the nearby streets lately.

He could hardly trouble Twelfth Madam again, right?

Even with Ding Songyan’s thick skin, he felt a little embarrassed.

Back in the wine shop, Ding Songyan put on a smile and walked to the counter.

Seeing him like this, Twelfth Madam Luo instantly found her sharp tongue.

"Scram!"

Ding Songyan smiled ingratiatingly and kept coming closer, asking in a low voice, "Twelfth Madam, is there any way to hide from the deduction of heavenly secrets?"

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